Metallica’s Lars Ulrich says hard rock is back to being a ‘subculture’.

When Rolling Stone asked Ulrich if he thinks the mainstream understands hard rock better today than it did in 1989, Ulrich said the genre is now less mainstream.

“We’ve probably had the biggest summer we’ve ever had just in terms of sheer number of tickets sold between our European and American dates. Obviously, that’s a complete mindf**k given that it’s 42 years into this ride.” He explained, “But at the same time, it feels that hard rock is more of a subculture and less mainstream than it’s been.”

“In terms of the zeitgeist and overall mainstream culture, it doesn’t feel like we’re as much a part of the mainstream conversation as it has been in the past,” he continued.

Despite that, Ulrich says Metallica is selling more tickets than ever before – even breaking Taylor Swift’s attendance record at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.